‘A Christmas Story’ Sequel in the Works With Original Star Peter Billingsley

A sequel to the holiday classic “A Christmas Story” is in the works for Warner Bros. and Legendary, and the film’s original child star Peter Billingsley is set to reprise his role as Ralphie in the film, two individuals with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.

The new film intended for HBO Max is titled “A Christmas Story Christmas” and will take place in the 1970s, 30 years removed from the original film set in the 1940s. It will see an adult Ralphie bringing his own kids to his home on Cleveland Street to give them the same Christmas he had growing up. The film will aim to have the same period attention to detail in re-creating the ’70s as the original film did with the 1940s, and it will show Ralphie reconnecting with childhood friends and reconciling the passing of his Old Man.

Clay Kaytis, who directed “The Christmas Chronicles” for Netflix, will direct the “Christmas Story” sequel, and Nick Schenk (“The Mule,” “Cry Macho”) will write the script.

Billingsley in addition to starring will also produce alongside Vince Vaughn for their Wild West Picture Show Productions. Together the two have produced films such as “The Break-Up,” “Four Christmases,” “Couples Retreat” and “F Is For Family,” and Billingsley has also produced the Broadway production “A Christmas Story the Musical,” which was nominated for three Tony Awards.

Production on the film will begin in February in Hungary.

“A Christmas Story” was released in 1983 as directed by Bob Clark. Over time, the film has become a holiday staple in its story of a boy who desperately wants a Red Ryder BB gun (“You’ll shoot your eye out, kid!”) for Christmas. It’s become famous for its memorable vignettes of a boy getting his tongue stuck to a frozen light pole, of Ralphie’s father becoming obsessed with a lamp in the shape of a woman’s leg donned in fish nets and of Ralphie’s reluctance to wear a pink bunny onesie.

The film also had a straight to video sequel in 2012, “A Christmas Story 2” following a teenage Ralphie, and it was also turned into a live TV production in 2017.

Schenk will also executive produce. Cale Boyter and Jay Ashenfelter will oversee for Legendary.

Billingsley is represented by Mitch Smelkinson. Schenk is represented by Management 360 and Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Adler, Feldman & Clark. Kaytis is represented by UTA, Artists First, and Mark P. Binder, Weston, Garrou & Dewitt.

For the record: A previous version of this story misspelled Clay Kaytis’ name.